Traveling to Dar es Salaam for First-Time Visitors

Traveling to Dar es Salaam for the first time doesn't match what most people picture. Larger, louder, and the traffic between the airport and the city during rush hour catches people before anything else does. 

7 million people along the Indian Ocean coast of Tanzania. Colonial buildings next to glass towers. One of the busiest harbours in East Africa. This guide covers what you actually need before landing.

Before You Land

Julius Nyerere International Airport is 12 kilometres from the centre. 25 minutes on a good day, well over an hour during rush hour, 7 am to 9 am and 4 pm to 7 pm. Build in the time.

Book the airport transfer through the hotel before you land. Tanzanian shillings are the local currency, AT M at the airport beats the exchange counters. Tell the bank before travelling or the card gets blocked on the first transaction.

Getting Around

• Bolt works here. Download before landing, known price, no negotiation, works from the airport,
• BRT buses run on dedicated lanes along the main corridors, fast and cheap if you're staying more than a few days,
• Bajajis for short distances, price agreed before getting in, not after. 
• Walking works in the mornings and evenings. Between 10 am and 4 pm, the coastal humidity makes it something else entirely.

Safety

• Petty theft, phone snatching, 
• bag grabs happen in the central market areas and crowded public transport,
• Phone in the pocket, not the hand,
• Bags in front in crowds,
• Cab after dark rather than walking unfamiliar streets.

Upanga and Oyster Bay, where most hotels sit, are significantly safer than the central market zone.

What to Eat

• Ugali with nyama choma, find a good version rather than defaulting to hotel food,
• Fresh seafood everywhere,
• The Indian food in Upanga, particularly the biryani, is excellent and cheaper than the hotel equivalent.
• Night food markets after 6 pm are worth finding.

What to See

• The National Museum for Tanzania's history and the Olduvai Gorge finds, oldest human remains in the world found here,
• Fish market at Kivukoni from 6 am when the boats come in,
• Bongoyo Island, short dhow ride from the Slipway, uninhabited, beach, clear water,
• Zanzibar is 90 minutes by fast ferry. Book in advance during peak season.

Where to Stay: Aura Suites, Dar es Salaam

Traveling to Dar es Salaam for business or a longer stay, most hotels give you a room. Aura Suites on Morogoro Road in Upanga gives you an apartment, and that difference matters more than it sounds.

Around 70 suites. Deluxe at 91 square metres, Club at 115 with two bedrooms, Platinum at 151 with three. 

Living room, dining area, fully equipped kitchen with an oven, private balcony in many suites. The kitchen changes a long stay completely, cooking breakfast, keeping food in the refrigerator, eating at a table rather than a desk. It compounds over a week.

Kinaya restaurant is on the 16th floor. Rooftop, skyline views after dark, Indian, African, European, Silk Route-inspired dishes. The view over the city at night is the reason to time at least one dinner there.

Swimming pool, gym, and a 500-metre jogging track inside the property. Kids' play area. 24-hour housekeeping, free Wi-Fi, laundry, and airport transfers. The Orbit Banquet and meeting spaces handle corporate events and boardroom meetings without sourcing a separate venue. 24-hour security, access-controlled elevators, CCTV parking.

Summing it Up!

Traveling to Dar es Salaam rewards preparation. Transport, currency, traffic timing, get these right and the friction disappears. The food, the harbour, Bongoyo Island, Zanzibar 90 minutes away. Aura Suites on Morogoro Road, central, secure, apartment-scale suites, a rooftop restaurant worth going to specifically. Somewhere to settle into rather than pass through.